Better than the Beltway Boys: Berkowitz w/Professor Paul Green on Obama, the Combine, Kass, the Fitzgeralds and much more, Cable and Streaming

Paul Green: You don’t want to run against Barack Obama if you have any kind of sexual peccadillo in your background…it comes out even if…***************************Paul Green: There is no such thing as the Illinois [combine].*****************Paul Green: …So you have the social conservatives, on the Republican side, who literally want to ruin the Republican Party by making non-important issues, as far as electoral politics, important.*****************Paul Green: …She [Judy Baar Topinka] was spending most of her time guarding her rear end because she was being knifed in the back by her own party people.******************Paul Green: …The chair of the Republican Party is irrelevant…[Andy McKenna, Jr.] is a nice young man and he comes from a wonderful family but there has never been a book written on the great state chairmen of the Democratic and Republican parties. ********************This week’s suburban edition of "Public Affairs," features WGN Political Pundit and Roosevelt University Professor Paul Green on National, Illinois and Chicago politics. Turn on, Tune in and watch discussions of Obama, Clinton, Rezko, Cross, Watson, McKenna,Jr., Jones, Blagojevich, the Illinois Combine, John Kass, Peter Fitzgerald, Patrick Fitzgerald, Hired Truck, Don Tomczak, Hired Tow, Mayor Daley, Cong. Jesse Jackson, Jr. and Cong. Luis Gutierrez , the Chicago Machine, Stu Levine, Public Official A, Gary MacDougal and the Illinois GOP and much, much more [See, below, a more detailed list of topics discussed on the show]. ************************* This week’s suburban schedule for Public Affairs is included, below.********************************************************* The show with Professor Paul Green will also air throughout the City of Chicago this coming Monday night, at 8:30 pm on Cable Ch. 21 (CANTV) and in Aurora and surrounding areas on that same Monday night at 7:30 pm on ACTV, Cable Ch. 10.*************************************************************The show with Paul Green, taped on March 9, 2008, is also available 24/7 on your computer.*********************************************************On this week’s suburban edition of Public Affairs, Paul Green, Roosevelt University Professor of Policy Studies and WGN Radio Political Analyst, discusses and debates with "Public Affairs," Show Host and Executive Legal Recruiter Jeff Berkowitz whether "Experience means almost nothing," in the Democratic Presidential Primary, "Experience matters when you are President," Obama can throw a knock-out punch, the super delegates will choose the Dem. Presidential nominee, Obama is the favorite, race matters, there will be an Obama-Clinton ticket or vice-versa, Rezko is a factor in the Presidential Primary, disclosure of sexual/marriage issues have tended to be factors in Obama election contests, Axelrod is a significant factor in any Obama contest, Obama's 1996 senate race was a 'contest," Obama has sharp elbows, social conservatives have hurt the Illinois Republican Party, political discussions can be Orwellian, ideas have consequences, the State GOP is in need of ideas and a brand and whether Blago's budget consists of serious proposals or smoke and mirrors. ************************************************* A partial transcript of this week’s suburban edition of Public Affairs is included, below:

Paul Green: …So you have the social conservatives on the Republican side who literally want to ruin the Republican Party by making non-important issues, as far as electoral politics, important.

Jeff Berkowitz: Brought the people in the State of Illinois Patrick Fitzgerald [no family relation to Peter Fitzgerald]. Would you say Patrick Fitzgerald has done a great job as U. S. Attorney [N.D. Ill].?

Paul Green: I think Patrick Fitzgerald has done a great job and I am a great—

Jeff Berkowitz: You got Peter Fitzgerald to thank for that.

Paul Green: I am a great fan of Peter Fitzgerald…

Jeff Berkowitz: So, don’t lambast the social conservatives—

Paul Green: Well, they won one race.

Jeff Berkowitz: Well, that was a pretty important one.

Paul Green: Well, yeah—

Jeff Berkowitz: If it ever changes in Illinois. If the politics of pay to play changes in Illinois, you’ll have two people to thank for that: Peter Fitzgerald and Patrick Fitzgerald.

Paul Green: But you have to understand that the social conservatives are rule or ruin politicians. They supported Blagojevich over Judy Baar Topinka. They called her the liberal candidate.

Jeff Berkowitz: Oh, don’t blame [them for] that. She was a terrible candidate. She’s a nice lady but a terrible candidate. You would agree with that, right?

Paul Green: I disagree with that—************************************************* Paul Green: There is no such thing as the Illinois [combine].

Jeff Berkowitz: You don’t think so? John Kass made it up?

Paul Green: No, John Kass is a very good reporter.

Jeff Berkowitz: He says there is an Illinois combine. You’re taking on John Kass?

Paul Green: And, he has a right to his opinion. I would disagree with Mr. Kass, absolutely. I mean if you are talking about moderate conservative Republicans and moderate Democrats who get elected, you could call them a Combine, you could call them anything you want. This is a middle of the road state. This is not a state that enjoys the far left or the far right.

Jeff Berkowitz: What’s the Illinois Combine? …you’re the professor, teach me as a student. What does John Kass mean when he says Illinois Combine?

Paul Green: That there’s some kind of unwritten rule or some kind of understanding that certain kinds of people get together to run things in this state, sort of like a version of the combination of the Mafia, the Sopranos—

Jeff Berkowitz: Certain kinds of people? What would those groups be?

Paul Green: Or the Masons?

Jeff Berkowitz: Define your terms, professor.

Paul Green: Just individuals who are involved in politics, who get elected.

Jeff Berkowitz: …No, no, no.

Paul Green: The Thompson-Edgar wing of the Republican Party and the Daley wing of the Democratic Party.

Jeff Berkowitz: Right, there we go. Democrats and Republicans getting together for public corruption for the benefit of [individuals in] both parties…

Jeff Berkowitz: That’s what Kass says. That’s not Jeff Berkowitz, that’s John Kass. **************************************************** Jeff Berkowitz: Eight years in the State Senate, what did he do that qualifies him [Obama] to be President of the United States?

Paul Green: It makes no difference.

Jeff Berkowitz: It makes no difference?

Paul Green: No, it makes no difference. One of the things that has happened in this campaign is that the word “Change,” has dominated experience. The two Democrats who had the most experience, running for President, were Senators Dodd and Biden and they were the two early dropouts. Experience means almost nothing. You are voting for change and change is a wonderful word. It means …for everybody what they want to believe. And as long as Obama—and his campaign is brilliant—makes the key word change, not experience, not having any experience is probably a plus.******************************************* Jeff Berkowitz: So race matters, you just sneaked that word in there.

Paul Green: Damn right race matters.

Jeff Berkowitz: African-American? what does that mean, how does that come into play?

Paul Green: Because they are the most solid, crucial part of the Democratic base. Remember, what you have—

Jeff Berkowitz: So you are saying the super delegates don’t want to alienate—

Paul Green: They have a tough decision—

Jeff Berkowitz: The African-American base.

Paul Green: Let me finish my sentence. On one side, you have Obama, having tremendous support among… ***************************************** Jeff Berkowitz: Could you see Hillary Clinton taking No. 2 to Barack Obama? Could you see that?

Paul Green: Possibly.

Jeff Berkowitz: A sixty-one year old lady taking No. 2 to a forty-six year old man?

Paul Green: Possibly.

Jeff Berkowitz: You could see that?

Paul Green: Yup. Possibly. No doubt about it. Remember, she serves eight years-- she is still younger than John McCain is, running for President, now.

Jeff Berkowitz: And, she brings all the baggage of the Clinton Administration and Barack Obama brings Tony Rezko into the White House.

Jeff Berkowitz: Yeah, and he knows machine politics better than anybody. He knows how to get down and dirty better than anybody. Would that be true?

Paul Green: That’s your opinion.

Jeff Berkowitz: Well, is that your opinion?

Paul Green: No. But that’s okay. He’s a very smart and a very successful—

Jeff Berkowitz: Would that be a plus if he knew that?

Paul Green: David Axelrod is a very smart and a very successful campaign consultant and is making himself a national person in this campaign. But, to your suggestion, first off, (a) you don’t want to-- you don’t want to run against Barack Obama if you have any kind of sexual peccadillo in your background…

Jeff Berkowitz: You don’t because it is bound to come out--

Paul Green: It comes out

Jeff Berkowitz: Somebody makes that happen

Paul Green: Even if the New York Times runs a phony story on you, I mean, it comes out with poor Senator McCain now. But, the bottom line is…******************************************* This week’s suburban episode of Public Affairs with guest Professor and WGN Radio political pundit Paul Green airs:

and this week on Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 8:30 pm airing on Comcast Cable Channel 19 in Bannockburn, Deerfield, Ft. Sheridan, Glencoe, Highland Park, Highwood, Kenilworth, Lincolnshire, Riverwoods and Winnetka. ********************************************Jeff Berkowitz, Show Host/Producer of "Public Affairs," and Executive Legal Recruiter doing legal search, can be reached at JBCG@aol.com. You may watch "Public Affairs," shows with Presidential Candidates Obama and McCain-- and many other pols and pundits, as well as this week's show in the suburbs with Professor Paul Green and last week's show with State Senator Brady at PublicAffairsTv.com*********************************************Recently posted shows on the Public Affairs Youtube page include, among others, this week's show with Political Pundit Paul Green, last week's show with Senator Brady, our show with former Sen. Rauschenberger, assessing Barack Obama, our prior show with Republican U.S. Senate nominee Dr. Steve Sauerberg, discussing his opponent--Senator Durbin-- and domestic, cultural and foreign policy issues, our prior show featuring State Rep. Julie Hamos (D-Evanston,IL), discussing Barack Obama, as well as various Illinois Budget issues (spending, mass transit, capital budget, education, gaming and taxes) and possible 2010 Illinois gubernatorial candidates and 2010 U. S. Senate candidates (assuming Obama moves up to President in 2008) , a discussion with State's Attorney for Cook County Republican nominee Tony Peraica; and Anita Alvarez, Chief Deputy to current State's Attorney for Cook County Dick Devine and now the Democratic nominee for State's Attorney of Cook County.